Do you use Air Miles?
Crazy as it seems - considering I live to travel and we spend quite a bit of money at the LCBO - we do not.
Air Miles are a huge, Canada-wide, loyalty-incentive program, and the LCBO is the provincially controlled wine and liquor retailer in Ontario. The LCBO awards one Air Mile for every $25 spent there.
When we first moved to Canada, someone told me Air Miles were not actually redeemable for air travel, but only for "rewards," i.e., designated junk at designated stores. And I believed them. I took a cursory glance at the website, saw all the store logos and "merchandise rewards," and didn't sign up.
Plus, I'm like an addict when it comes to loyalty programs. I purposely don't get a lot of loyalty cards, because when I have them, I let them control all my spending habits. When I had a card from Athlete's Foot - buy 10 pairs of sneakers, get the 11th at half price - I went out of my way to buy my sneakers there, to a ridiculous degree. I had a punch-card from a salad place in Rockefeller Centre. I lived for that 12th, free salad. You get the picture.
I don't like this consumer behaviour, and I get tired of being asked for points cards everywhere I go, so I avoid most of the cards in the first place. I only use the ones that give you a discount on the spot, like Chapters or PetSmart.
Well, that's not completely true. We collect Petro Points, but then, we have to buy gas anyway. And I am filling up cards from Extreme Pita, but I love those pitas! Do you see what I mean?
Anyway... Combine this loyalty-addict tendency with my incorrect belief that Air Miles don't really buy free travel, and we never signed up.
So do you collect Air Miles? Do you use them? Is it a good program, where you can easily redeem your points for travel? Are the travel awards highly restricted? Can you put a bunch of points towards air travel, and pay for the balance, or do you have to collect all the points needed, and pay entirely with points? Are there a lot of catches, in general? I don't want to save points for years just to learn that I can't use them for this or that, or that they expired, or some other surprise.
I've looked at the FAQs on the Air Miles website, but I'd like to hear from people who've actually used them.
And then, how do I live with our two years of LCBO purchases from which we didn't get Air Miles?? I don't think you can answer that one.
16 comments:
I don't know that it's worth it for you, honestly. I've had Air Miles since I moved here in 1997, and have never redeemed any miles for anything. I just checked the website and it looks like there are a few cool things I could get for all the miles I've accumulated in those years, including flights, I couldn't get very far or very much.
Of course, I've never collected obsessively, so I've never accumulated miles very quickly. I'm sure there are more efficient ways of using the card; I've just never bothered.
SuMei's family used to collect Air Miles. It was annoying and to my knowledge they've never been cashed in.
However, in the last year or so SuMei and I have started using Aeroplan miles. We have an Aeroplan credit card where we get 1.25 miles per dollar spent, and for as little as 25,000 miles we can fly within eastern Canada, and for 50,000 we can fly anywhere in North America. (The rates go up for last minute travel.) In one year, we saved up enough miles for SuMei to fly to Atlanta and both of us to fly to Halifax. Not a bad deal.
Plus, I'm like an addict when it comes to loyalty programs.
"Is there a captain's hat involved in this?" :)
So far you guys are making me feel better about not collecting them these last two years!
As I think about it, 1 mile for every $25 at the LCBO doesn't amount to all that much, even for us.
I hope more people respond. I'd be interested in knowing if anyone cashes them in!
Is there a captain's hat involved in this?
H&H Bagels!! Mmmm....
And hey M@, an Aeroplan credit card sounds like a good idea. My Canadian credit is coming along nicely. I should apply for one.
The other day when you said you flew on Aeroplan points, I thought you meant frequent flyer miles. This makes more sense.
I joined Aeroplan when I went to California in the spring. I'll look into this. Thanks!
I've been collecting airmiles since 1989. I have redeemed them for two trips to Calgary, one to Vancouver and one to Chicago. I don't bother with the stuff, just save for trips. I hate Air Canada so I won't collect their points. Airmiles can be gotten at more than the Liquor Store and I also use my Air Miles Mastercard almost exclusively so I get double miles. Of course the trick is to pay your card in full every month or else it's not worth it...Hope this helps...ciao
Actually, I've been corrected: SuMei's father did cash in Air Miles for a trip, back in the 80s. Not sure of any further details.
Aeroplan miles are also collected as frequent flyer miles but we've collected far more from the credit card. The catch is that it's an Amex card and it costs $120 a year I think. We've made that back with the flights we've already used. There was a pretty big bunch of bonus miles that we got for joining, too.
We do take advantage of occasional Aeroplan deals, too. I got a 5000 mile bonus for signing up for XM satellite radio, and that was a decent deal even without the miles.
All in all we're happy with the program.
Thanks, Rositta. Now I'm intrigued again. :)
I also would have zero interest in redeeming points for "stuff" - only travel.
Air Miles Mastercard, eh? Hmmm... maybe. I don't pay my bill in full every month, but I could arrange to do that, by putting larger purchases on a separate card.
M@, this new information is a little less intriguing. :/ I don't want an Amex card, only Visa or MC. Hmmm.
Thanks guys, keep those cards and letters coming.
My mother collects Air Miles, but then she flies to Europe five times a year, so she gets a reasonable accumulation rate out of them.
So James, she uses them for free flights and discounts?
(PS I wish I flew to Europe every year. I'd settle for once a year.)
I have an Aeroplan miles credit card through CIBC. It rocks, and racks up the Air Canada miles a lot faster than Air Miles does... :-)
And CIBC's is Visa ($120/yr, though).
And CIBC's is Visa ($120/yr, though).
That's an improvement. :) Thanks.
On a separate note, $120/yr for a credit card is insane. I pay $57/yr for my TD Visa - and $0 for my Capital One Visa.
$120/yr for a credit card is insane.
Quite. I initially refused to get the Amex card for that reason. But when I figured out our annual credit card bill and the miles we'd get for it, it made sense. The other credit cards we had were getting us nothing.
Only a deal if you use the points, of course.
Only a deal if you use the points, of course.
Right. When I have time, I'll have to wrap up my other credit cards and get an AP card, then make sure we use it for points. It's not something I can do right away, but I'll put it on the old long-term list...
Just noticed this post, a bit out dated....but my 0.02 on Air Miles...
My dad's been collecting since the 70s. A few years ago I hitched onto his card and also collected (minimally, at that) - I thought it was 1 mile for every $20 (not 25)?
So 30 years of collecting and in 2003 we were finally able to put the miles towards renting a car when we went down to florida for a vacation. That car rental ended up costing over $400 with all the addons they force you to get, as well as taxes, fees etc.
So we said screw that - in the mean time I had a discussion with my aunt about it, whose a financial planner, and agreed with me that using them for travel is a rip and to just use them for merch.
My dad is an electrical contractor and one of the electrical wholesalers he uses started giving out air miles as well, so they reaccumulated quite quickly after that.
So after ~35 years of saving, he was finally able to cash them in for something worthwhile. We got a really nice Canon Digital Rebel SLR camera out of it, so that worked out well. The way I see it, may as well collect them. It doesn't really require much effort, and I'm sure I might be able to get my grandson a nice gift one day with the miles collected. Then again, I don't really go out of my way to find places that distribute them. Yeah, I'll go to Shoppers Drug Mart on purpose because of the Optimum Points Program, however I also think it's a superior drug store... But I won't go to Shell or something just for the air mile (no plural) that I'll earn filling up my little car.
I also neglect to use the card about half the time at the LCBOs up here in KW - remember, it's linked to my dads card and he doesn't need to see the miles pouring in from my card while I'm supposed to be up here schooling! More of a money thing than anything.
But yeah, thus ends my experiences with the Air Miles program.
Thanks, Tim! Good information.
I forgot about the old Optimum card at SDM, we use that too.
I thought it was 1 mile for every $20 (not 25)?
I got that from the LCBO website - otherwise I wouldn't know.
That car rental ended up costing over $400 with all the addons they force you to get, as well as taxes, fees etc.
That's serious b/s. Very good to know, since I only want the travel rewards.
Thank you!
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